European Renaissance - Art of Translation
Translation of language for people to understand has been prevailing since fifteenth century. Martin Luther in 1534, translated the Bible into German language for the people. It was the first time the concept of translation came into existence. Luther believed that the Bible should be translated into the German language so that all the people of the Holy Roman Empire’s German territory could have access to its teachings.
Earlier Bible translations were word-for-word, usually Greek or Hebrew into Latin. Now Renaissance scholars say that we cannot go word for word from one language into another language because it doesn't work that way. We need to find the sense of the words in the first language, and then recreate that sense in the second language. Luther spent twelve years making his translation and the rest of his life revising it. He pointed out that, since we must make subjective sense of the words, any translation is subject to error, including his.
Luther’s translation of the Bible into the German language is known as the “Luther Bible". The Luther Bible by reason of its widespread circulation facilitated the emergence of the modern German language by standardizing it for the peoples of the Holy Roman Empire, an empire embodying most of present day Germany. It is considered a landmark in German literature.
His translation made it more accessible to ordinary people and had a tremendous impact on the church and on German culture. The translation also furthered the development of a standard version of the German language and added several principles to the art of translation. It is more important to translate the meaning of the original than to replicate its form.
Luther wrote: “I wanted to speak German, not Latin or Greek, since it was German I had undertaken to speak in the translation ... Therefore I must let the literal words go and try to learn how the German says that which the Hebrew [or Greek] expresses ... Words are to serve and follow the meaning, not meaning the words.” There is a corollary to this principle: In order to communicate, a translation must change the linguistic form of the original.
In the preface to Job, Luther writes:
"… if it were translated everywhere word for word ... and not for the most part according to the sense, no one would understand it. ... We have taken care to use language that is clear and that everybody can understand, without perverting the sense and meaning”.
His translation of The New Testament w"as published in September 1522. He worked on refining the translation for the rest of his life. The Luther Bible contributed to the emergence of the modern German language and is regarded as a landmark in German literature.
Too many people today take for granted the multiplicity of Bibles in so many languages around the world. It's easy to get a hold of a Bible - one in which you can read easily and conveniently. This was not the case for many people - most people, in fact - centuries ago. Thus, effective translation plays a very important role in this century.